Chemistry Class: Roommates Show, Episode 20

Welcome to Chemistry Class, Posting & Toasting’s newest series! The current Knicks’ roster might have the best NBA team chemistry – both on and off the court – ever. The Nova Knicks have taken the league by storm, and with the power of vibes and friendship, look to bring home a trophy to the city of New York. With this new feature, we’re hoping to highlight the antics that the Knicks get up to off of the court, and to dive deeper into how important it is to have a team of dudes who love to play with one another.

With that said, there’s no better place to start than with the Roommates Show, hosted by none other than Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, two of the most beloved Knicks of the century.

I’ll be honest – I’m usually not such a podcast guy. But listening to these two chop it up has been one of the highlights of the off-season, and Episode 20 was more of the same. This time, it was the Pelican, Trey Murphy III, joining the duo. Murphy is one of the most impressive young wings in the league, averaging 14.8 PPG on nearly 40% from long range, all while disrupting offenses with his strong defensive presence and seven-foot wingspan. During his rookie year in 2021-22, Josh Hart was also playing for New Orleans, so it’s worth noting that the two are former teammates.

This show is straight comedy, and the camaraderie of JB and Hart jumps out at you every time. But there were some particularly interesting segments of the show worth highlighting. (note – all videos open up to corresponding clips)

Josh Hart as a veteran

Trey discusses Josh’s time in NOLA, and his experience as a rookie trying to learn underneath Hart

Ethical buckets

This segment is awesome. JB, Hart, and Murphy discuss ‘ethical hooping’ – that is, players who tend to score more without relying on free throws + foul baiting to get to the line. Brunson discusses his perspective on how to use defensive rules and tendencies to his advantage, and Josh Hart refers to James Neismith as Joe Neesmith. It’s maybe the most fun couple of minutes this entire episode.

Trey Murphy almost went to Nova?

Murphy discusses his time in the transfer portal, and how he was strongly considering Villanova as a destination before sitting down with Tony Bennett and Virginia.

Matching up vs. number one options

Murphy discusses what it looks like preparing to defend a team’s number one option night in and night out, and JB and Hart share how hard it is to be at the top of a scouting report.

Different hoop regions

Jalen Brunson identifies as a Jersey hooper. That is all.

As a bonus: this is easily the funniest moment of the episode.

Anyways, that’s all from us about this episode – you’ll be seeing a lot more from Chemistry Class in the coming weeks! Enjoy summer league, and go Knicks!